New Westchester coffee shop, slated to open April 26, promotes 'kindness in a cup'
Sleepy Coffee, Too, opening April 26 in Sleepy Hollow, is not your average coffee shop. Sure you'll find lattes, pastries and lots of room to sit and sip your coffee (or work remotely!) but what you'll mostly find is "kindness in a cup." That's the slogan here — and the mission — as Sleepy Coffee, Too is a non profit (501c3) business with the goal of providing training and employment for people with disabilities in an inclusive cafe workplace.
That may mean waiting a little bit longer for your coffee — a sign by the register asks customers to please be patient with the staff as they're still learning. It also means some unorthodox protocol in that once you order, you're given an illustration of a person on a stick at the same time your barista gets the same matching image. Once your coffee is complete your barista holds up that picture by the pickup area — and you collect your item.
Barista Jake Loerker is particularly excited to brew cappuccinos and espressos for customers — those are two of his favorites to make — while Ella Manfredi said she's mastered much of the same and "so appreciates" the opportunity to work here.
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From classroom to cafe
The business is an extension of what owner (and Tarrytown resident) Kim Kaczmarek had been doing at Sleepy Hollow High School for 35 years. The special education teacher, who retired in June 2021, ran a work program there called Sleepy Coffee which provided coffee from a cart that her students ran. (Manfredi was part of that staff while Loerker attended Kaczmarek's summer camp program.)
Seeing the lack of employment opportunities for these young adults once they graduated both frustrated and motivated Kaczmarek to take action, just two months into her retirement.
"The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is at about 80% and as a teacher and a person who lives in the community and loves my students, that was not acceptable to me," she said. "So I wanted to do something about it.
"I also wanted to show the world what incredible amazing people they are."
The result is this cozy 19-seat space complete with a large black and white mural of a cup with a heart on it by Croton-on-Hudson native Dillon O’Keefe with the motto "Where kindness is served one cup at a time," next to a faux fireplace, lots of cutesy coffee signs (think "coffee & friends: the perfect blend" and "without coffee I can't even"), warm woods, a sofa, counter seating (with outlets for plugging in!) and tables offering a mismatch of brown and red chairs. There's also a few stools with a ledge that looks out to the street and light from a quirky-placed window behind the back counter.
The left side of the room is devoted to a variety of local vendors such as oils and vinegars from The Twisted Branch in Valhalla and cookies and granola from Rising Above Bakery, a Rockland-based bakery that also employs young adults with disabilities (profiled in 2021 in The Journal News/lohud).
There's also merchandise from other companies with similar missions to Sleepy Coffee, Too — think John's Crazy Socks (with a portion of earnings donated to the Special Olympics) and items from YAI in Tarrytown, which celebrates people of all abilities — along with coffee beans to go, including the Legendary blend Yonkers-based Double Barrel Roasters created for Kaczmarek (that coffee is also used in the cafe).
You'll also find a bread mix and oversized Sleepy Coffee, Too mugs, with its kindness motto which this reporter predicts will be a huge hit.
Naturally, this being a coffee shop, there will be baked goods, though for now, under Kaczmarek's conditional permit, the shop has limited offerings such as yogurt parfaits, no bake cheesecakes and scones from Rising Above. With a bright and shiny spanking new kitchen, however, there are plans to offer homemade items culled from Kaczmarek's mother's recipes. "I want to offer a very homey menu and feature things that make you feel good," she said.
Kindness matters
Kaczmarek jokes that though she ran "a little coffee business" at the high school, for decades she didn’t really know anything about coffee — and had no idea how long everything would take. Luckily, a lot of people stepped in to help her, a fact that she's forever grateful for — and plans to pay forward.
Paying it forward is another theme here; signage in the coffee shop reminds customers they can pay for someone's order who can't afford it and even pay ahead of time and they'll post it on their wall for a future order. Similarly, if a customer is in need and having trouble paying for their order, they're encouraged to let the cashier know so it can be covered from another customer's generosity.
"If people abuse it, then we lose it," said Kaczmarek who's hopeful customers will be respectful.
A dream come true
Kaczmarek is still pinching herself that opening day is upon her as it ended up taking a lot longer than she'd anticipated (she was first profiled in The Journal News/lohud in March 2022). The whole project was three years in the making, starting in August 2021, with construction and permitting the reason for much of the delays.
The grand opening will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday complete with a red carpet for her employees, complimentary cookies and the full service bar and merchandise open to those who wants to make purchases. Normal business hours will begin Saturday starting at 7:30 a.m.
The Beekman Avenue space had formerly been a vacant warehouse for 20 years. Wanting to get the project moving — and get her employees (and the community) excited about what was to come — she opened The Little Shop of Coffee and Dry Goods in June 2023 which sold the same merchandise she now sells (a sign from that shop hangs to the left of the front entrance). She closed the gift store in January in anticipation of the cafe opening.
Kaczmarek said she feels like she's come full circle in a lot of ways. A few of her employees, ranging in age from 21 to 35 work three-hour shifts — and started with her at Sleepy Hollow High School.
The reason she has them working part-time is so they can keep the benefits they need but also so she can hire more people, giving them each a maximum of nine hours a week.
"When people meet my employees, I guarantee you won't want to leave," she said.
It's part of the reason she wanted to open this coffee shop, the name of which is an homage to the cart she started so many years ago. "The cafe is basically Sleepy Coffee 2.0," she said.
It's also, she said, something she's really proud of and hopes will become a Rivertowns destination "everyone feels comfortable coming to."
"It's definitely a dream come true," she added. "But it's better than any dream I could have ever imagined."
If you go
Address: 110 Beekman Ave., Sleepy Hollow, sleepycoffeetoo.org
Hours: 7:30 am. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday to Sunday to start; eventually the goal is to open those same hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Hours may also be extended. Stay tuned to the cafe's social media for updates.
Good to know: Down the road, Kaczmarek plans to do more events like afternoon tea (with reservations), an open mic night or bring in a DJ. Eventually, there will be outdoor seating.
Future plans: Expect a program called Sleepy Coffee, Too After Hours, modeled after a program Kaczmarek and colleague Mindy Cohen created at Sleepy Hollow High School. Geared for neurotypical and neurodiverse adults over 21, it will include social and recreational activities such as movies, art, cooking, dance parties and guest speakers at the cafe after hours.
Be kind: "Where kindness is served one cup at a time" is not just a saying on the wall; it's the credo of the cafe. A pay it forward sign encourages those who can afford it to buy something for someone who can't.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Sleepy Hollow NY cafe employs young adults with differing abilities
